In Alleged New IMs From Harvard, Zuckerberg Says Facebook Is 'Souped-Up' Version Of Someone Else's Idea

Aaron Greenspan was a Harvard junior while Facebook CEO and cofounder Mark Zuckerberg was a sophomore.

For years, Greenspan has been trying to tell media outlets that Zuckberg's orginal idea for Facebook, a social network for Harvard students, was essentially a ripoff of a product Greenspan had put together at Harvard.

In one alleged conversation, Zuckerberg approaches Greenspan to see if he'd like work with him on a project – a project that would turn out to be Facebook.

Zuckerberg says he would like Greenspan to work on this project because he thinks it will be similar to a "facebook" site that Greenspan has already been working on – a Harvard-sanctioned Website called "Housesystem."

Zuckerberg tells Greenspan his project is "basically" a "souped of version of one thing Housesystem does."

"But," writes Zuckerberg, "It's not like I took the idea from you."

He says, "mine's not a straight facebook. It has a bunch of cool features which I don't think I should really mention right now."

Zuckerberg says the reason he wants Greenspan to work wit him is that his own project "may compete with the facebook you're trying to implement."

"l really I just want to make sure that we're not doing the same thing. Because then neither of us would succeed I think."

"You have good ideas clearly," Zuckerberg tells Greenspan.

Greenspan does not immediately accept Zuckerberg's offer. Instead, he tries to convince Zuckerberg to build his project on top of Housesystem.

Zuckerberg listens to the idea, but, without declining yet, seems down on it. He says "it's just the atmosphere of housesystem isn't right I think."

Reading these IMs it seems to us that Zuckerbeg may have been inspired by a feature that was a part of another person's product when he created Facebook. But clearly Zuckerberg had ideas for what would make Facebook a unique product, for what would give it "atmosphere." This language reminds us of how most product innovation occurs. At the same time, Greenspan does deserve credit for having a feature that inspired Zuckerberg.

We have reached out to Facebook for comment and will update this story as soon as we hear back.

berg02: i have a questionThinkComp: okzberg02: are you interested in doing other things besides the housesystem venture?ThinkComp: in what contextzberg02: like would you be interested in possibly partnering up to make a site if it would not be incorporated into housesystemThinkComp: for the sec? think? or separatezberg02: separate i guessThinkComp: depends on the site i guesszberg02: well it would be on the new thing i'm working onzberg02: i could let you know exactly what i was thinking about it, but i'm a little worried that you might just be inclined to want to incorporate it into housesystemzberg02: which isn't something i want right off the bat, and maybe not at allThinkComp: i guess i'd need to see the advantage of starting on something newThinkComp: since i've already sort of got a lot going on...ThinkComp: it's much easier to just incorporate things where they fit from my perspectivezberg02: well i agreezberg02: but we disagree on whether or not it would fit into housesystemzberg02: well really i just want to make sure that we're not doing the same thingzberg02: because then neither of us would succeed i thinkThinkComp: that's fair enough, but i don't understand why it wouldn't fit and why you wouldn't want to take advantage of the existing user baseThinkComp: especially since i don't know how much people will trust sites you make on your own at this pointThinkComp: just because of the previous negative publicityzberg02: yea i hear thatzberg02: i think that house system is a much more professional appzberg02: and people know it as thatThinkComp: i really don't think you will get in trouble for being too professionalzberg02: well yeazberg02: but that sort of makes it less interesting i guessThinkComp: i don't think sozberg02: but it's made up for by its utilityzberg02: like i don't think i'd go to housesystem to procrastinateThinkComp: because it looks too nice?ThinkComp: that seems sort of sillyzberg02: well just because of the functionality that's there presentlyzberg02: and people's opinion of it based on that and how it's been marketedThinkComp: in that case more time-wasting stuff would balance it out nicelyzberg02: perhapszberg02: but i really just want to make sure there's not a lot of overheadzberg02: i am worried that registration for housesystem requires a lot of infoThinkComp: yeah, it doesThinkComp: but if 1200 people have filled it out so far, i'm not too worried...ThinkComp: the most frequent reason i've heard for people not signing up for it is that they don't think anyone else isThinkComp: not that registration is hardzberg02: i'm also a little skeptical about the culture of the site and people's willingness to give information about themselvesThinkComp: or that it's too functionalzberg02: yea i agree...it is too functionalzberg02: like it's almost overwhelmingThinkComp: well, but it's supposed to bezberg02: like in a site where people give personal information for one thing, it then takes a lot of work and precaution to use that information for something elsezberg02: well it's good that it's functionalzberg02: it's just a little overwhelming for some people i think'ThinkComp: perhapsThinkComp: in any case, why do you want me to work on your project then if the stuff i do is at odds with the atmosphere you're trying to create?zberg02: you have good ideas clearlyzberg02: it's not that what you do is at odds with the atmosphere i'm trying to createzberg02: it's just the atmosphere of housesystem isn't right i thinkThinkComp: from what i can tell it sounds like your idea might again be controversial from the perspectives of other students and administratorsThinkComp: i'm not afraid of controversy clearlyThinkComp: but i might be able to keep in it check as part of housesystemThinkComp: i'm not so sure i could if i worked on something with you independentlyThinkComp: and there's the very real risk that it could blow up in both of our faces, which i'd rather avoidThinkComp: i guess that's basically how i feelzberg02: yea i don't think it's that controversial actuallyzberg02: but it's tough for you to know that unless i tell you exactly what it iszberg02: i guess basically it's a souped of version of one thing housesystem doeszberg02: which i think didn't do as well as it could have as a stand-alone siteThinkComp: okzberg02: but it's not like i took the idea from youThinkComp: sure, i understandzberg02: so i guess the basic jist is that i feel as if it may compete with the facebook you're trying to implementThinkComp: brb phonezberg02: okayThinkComp: hey i'm on holdzberg02: okayThinkComp: so you're going to compete with the facebook?zberg02: i think sozberg02: like it will be slightly different audiences i thinkThinkComp: linking faces to courses?zberg02: but in general i think most people won't want to submit their facebook picture to more than one site, do you agree?ThinkComp: i dunnoThinkComp: most people haven't even had the option of sending it to onezberg02: really i see it as a problem of critical masszberg02: people won't; do it unless other people do itThinkComp: rightzberg02: and then it becomes a question of culturezberg02: because it's not about who's actually doing itThinkComp: that's why i'm going to be talking to the uczberg02: it's about who people think are doing itzberg02: i think it requires some hypeThinkComp: how do you plan to go about thatzberg02: well mine's not a straight facebookzberg02: it has a bunch of cool features which i don't think i should really mention right nowzberg02: beyond the course stuffzberg02: and i just think in general people will respond to the next thing i makeThinkComp: okzberg02: a crimson reporter called me today to ask if i was making anything newThinkComp: i won't stop you thenzberg02: or planning on making anything newzberg02: without hearing of anyting i was doingzberg02: i thought that was interestingThinkComp: indeedzberg02: well i just think that if we compete neither of us will get the mass we need to make anything worthwhilezberg02: or i don't knowzberg02: mine is basically readyzberg02: i just have some business stuff to work outThinkComp: i'm not too concerned.ThinkComp: we're doing okzberg02: well i know you have lots of userszberg02: i'm just saying, in terms of either facebook getting usedThinkComp: you said they were different purposes though...zberg02: yea but people are lazyzberg02: and i think will only want to upload stuff to one of themThinkComp: i guess i don't know that that's trueThinkComp: what if you made a separate site that drew on the housesystem database in the backgroundThinkComp: under the secThinkComp: one upload, one loginzberg02: what is it going to draw from the database?zberg02: so both will have facebooks?ThinkComp: yeahThinkComp: put it would be a positive feedback loop rather than a negative oneThinkComp: assuming the administration doesn't take issue with your idea zberg02: that's an interesting ideazberg02: what if people don't want to do both sites?ThinkComp: they dont have toThinkComp: but if they sign up for one, they're automatically in the other.zberg02: would it be possible to add something like that after the site is launched?ThinkComp: uhThinkComp: why would you do it that way?zberg02: i mean, are you planning on making changes to the housesystem facebook?ThinkComp: of coursezberg02: so what data will the two draw from each otherzberg02: besides logins?ThinkComp: member information and facebook informationThinkComp: though neither site has to display all of itThinkComp: it would be sort of like how delta has song airlineszberg02: delta owns song airlinesThinkComp: rightThinkComp: your site would be an sec projectThinkComp: both would benefitzberg02: that sounds like it could workzberg02: but it might be a lot of work to modify the stuff i've already doneThinkComp: what did you write it ibThinkComp: er, inzberg02: some perl, some phpzberg02: all the web stuff is in phpThinkComp: might work thenzberg02: yea...how fast is your serverzberg02: for housesystemThinkComp: not too fastThinkComp: 300mhzzberg02: oh manThinkComp: but it workszberg02: how much ramThinkComp: 256zberg02: there are a lot of cool things that i wanted to do with coursematch that deal with graph theoryzberg02: but it's all pretty computationally intensiveThinkComp: i seezberg02: would the sites run off the same server?zberg02: or just share the database?ThinkComp: yeahThinkComp: same serverThinkComp: unless you have a different one you could put it onzberg02: we'll see what i can dozberg02: i need to go get some work donezberg02: we'll speak soonThinkComp: okThinkComp: bye